Improvement in steam pumping-engines



eeeeeeeeeeeee 1.

KB. Steam um in Engines.

No. 200,890. Patented March 5,1878.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. P. BLAKE. Steam Pumping-Engines.

No. 200,890. Patented Malch 5,1878.

@em i fi/z/teh "PATENT" QFFIOE.

eEoiaGEr. nLAKjmjor osrron, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENTIN PUMPING-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 200,890, dated March 5,1878; application filed February 21, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. BLAKE, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Steam Pumping-Engines and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my triple engine. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection through the rocker-shaft, looking toward the steam-cyL inders.

The same letter indicates the same part in both figures.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination, in one machine,of three doubleacting engines whose pistons have no mechanicalconnection with one another, and connecting mechanism whereby eachengine is adapted to actuate mechanically the valve of one of the otherengines in such order of time that no two engines shall reversetogether,in combination-with three pumps, each of which is directly connected,without crank or flywheel, with one of the three engines, the wholeforming a three-cylinder direct-acting pumping-engine, constructed andoperating in the manner hereinafter more fully set forth- The newresults and advantages of my invention are, the avoidance ofdead-points; simplicity of construction of valve mechanism, the valvesand ports of each engine all being of the same character, and the leversoperating the valves of these engines all being of the same class; thereduction of the size, and consequent cheapening of the construction, ofthe cylinders; the relief of the shock onthe pipes; and the preventionof pounding of the pumpvalves, arising from the fact that no two enginesreverse at the same time.

In the accompanying drawings, A marks the bed-plate of the machine, uponwhich it is supported. B O D are the three steam-cylinders, surmountedseverally by the connected steam-chests E F G, in which the steam-valvesoperate.

The cylinders, steam-chests, ports, and valves may be of any usual orsuitable construction, they constituting no part of the presentinvention.

H I K are the piston-rods, attached to slides N O P moving on guides Q RS. Piston-rod K is provided with a wrist-pin, which enters a slot in thelower end of lever T, the upper end of which is fixed to a rock-shaft,S, whose journals are supported by the stanchions L M. To the oppositeend of shaft S to that to which arm T is fixed is pivoted link W,operating valve-rod Z, attached to the valve of cylinderB. Piston-rod His pivoted to arm V, attached to sleeve B, rocking freely on shaft S,and operatin g valve-rod Z of cylinder 0. Piston'rodl is pivoted to armU, attached to sleeve A, rocking on shaft S, and operating the valverodZ of cylinder D.

It will thus be seen that the valve of engine B is actuated by engine D;next, the valve of middle engine 0 is actuated by engine B; and then thevalve of engine D is actuated by engine G, and so on continuously in thesame order, each engine in succession pausing during a portion of thestroke of the other two. These successive pauses have the importantadvantage of allowing thepump-valves of each of the pumps in successionto become well- Seated before the engine is reversed, thus tending togreatly lessen the pounding of those valves and waste of water resultingfrom the water passing through the openings before the valves have timeto close.

Unless precautions were taken to obviate it, a disadvantage would arisefrom these pauses when steam is used as a motive power, viz., that eachcylinder, during the pause of its piston, would fill with steam at theboilerpressure, resulting in a serious loss of heat and fuel, for, whenusing steam as a motive power, the boiler-pressure ought to be muchabove the working-pressure in the cylinder, in order that the steam maybe dry. To prevent the loss which would result from this cause, Ipropose to attach to the steam-chest aregulator connected with thesupply-pipe, and set to cut ofi' the ingress of steam to the chest atthe desired working pressure, irrespective of the pressure in theboiler. Such a regulator I purpose making the subject of a separateapplication, and do not claim it here.

It is obvious that, as there are three engines, there can be no deadpoint or center, and the engine, consequently, can be started at anypoint of the stroke. There being three pumpcylinders, it is notnecessary to have them so large to pump the same amount of water in agiven time as in case of a single or duplex pumping-engine.

The engines are herein shown with their cylinders parallel; but they maybe otherwise placed, the valve-operatin g mechanism being adapted to anysuch change. 1

What I claim is- The mechanism for successively operating the Intestimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I hereto affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

GEO. I. BLAKE.

Witnesses:

GEO. F. GRAHAM, CHAS. F. STANSBURY.

